by Anita Diamant
This is the second or third book I've read by Anita Diamant and I still have not read the one I have been wanting to read, The Red Tent. To be honest, this was an audio book so I didn't actually "read" it. I started it on my road trip home from Oregon, toward the end of the trip. Since I really only listen to audio books in the car, and it was the end of the trip, this book took several weeks to complete. But it's the perfect book for that kind of listening.
The Last Days of Dogtown is historical fiction. Dogtown really existed as did the characters in the book. Each chapter is the story of a different citizen of Dogtown and could easily stand on it's own as a short story. But of course the charm of the book is how each character can also make an appearance in someone else's story weaving the history of the town through it's inhabitants.
Dogtown was an early 19th century hamlet in Massachusetts that was home to the lowest caste of society and named for the wild dogs that also inhabited it. These citizens range from widows and spinsters, to prostitutes and freed slaves.
I very much enjoyed all the stories of the citizens of Dogtown. I find it interesting, however, in reading other reviews, that many people felt disappointed by this book having read The Red Tent previously. I am happy that I listened to Dogtown first.
I give The Last Days of Dogtown 4 of 5 shots.
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